The production of hydrocarbon waxes by the Fisher-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is well known. In this process, hydrogen is reacted with carbon monoxide in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst under specified procedural condition. The waxes resulting from this process have a narrow molecular weight distribution. The waxes produced in accordance with the process are readily available although costly.
To produce a polyethylene wax it is necessary to control the degree of polymerization of ethylene monomer to a number generally less than 360. Hence the average molecular weight of a polyethylene wax must generally not exceed about 10,000. Attempts to produce polyethylene waxes in a gas phase polymerization reactor employing traditional Ziegler-Natta catalysts result in fouling of the reactor by the fusing of the polyethylene wax in the reactor. The fusing of the polyethylene wax in the bed is due to the broad molecular weight distribution of the wax which contains undesirable but significant amounts of ethylene oligomers (C.sub.10 -C.sub.32). The oligomer content of such polyethylene wax is a sticky material which causes the polyethylene wax to agglomerate.
It would be desirable to devise a low cost polymerization procedure for the production of polyethylene waxes having a narrow molecular weight distribution. It is further desirable to devise a catalytic process other than the FTS which process would manifest minimal fouling within the reactor.